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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23352988">Wayward Hearts</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/foreverwayward/pseuds/foreverwayward'>foreverwayward</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Wayward Hearts [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>SPN, Supernatural</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, Canon Rewrite, F/M, Family, Fluff, Love, Original Character(s), Rewrite, Series, Series Rewrite, Supernatural Series Rewrite, spn rewrite, spn series rewrite, supernatural rewrite</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-03-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-20 05:28:29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>18,034</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23352988</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/foreverwayward/pseuds/foreverwayward</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>As Sam and Dean begin the search for their father, a chance encounter with another hunter will change the roads ahead. Riley Munroe is a hunter, raised by her father after her mother tragically died when she was only six months old. Brought together by loss, grief, and the family business, Sam, Dean, and Riley join forces. They’ll find that their stories are intertwined and lean on each other as they search for answers and to avenge those they’ve lost. They’ll face evil, darkness, and hell itself…as a family.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Dean Winchester/Original Female Character(s), Sam Winchester &amp; Original Female Character(s)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Wayward Hearts [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1679650</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. It Runs in the Family</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>SERIES REWRITE<br/>Season 1 Chapter 1</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>A black 1965 Mustang hummed down the road as the sign ahead read: <em>‘Welcome to Lawrence, Kansas’</em>. The driver window was down and ‘<em>Bad Company</em>’ played on the stereo. The autumn air was rolling in and blew through her auburn hair as she inhaled the fresh cool air. Riley had one hand on the wheel and the other in the golden hair of the canine co-pilot that laid peacefully in her lap. She would never make it alone in the endless hours on the road if she didn’t have Finn by her side.</p><p>Riley was a simple girl. At 22, she’d been through more than anyone should ever have to endure in a lifetime. Though her face was young, her aged soul showed. She was mature beyond her years, in both the best and worst ways. She always tried to appear a little rough around the edges. How jaded she was still showed, but she lived with her heart as her compass; that’s how Dad raised her.</p><p>She wasn’t tall by any means. Being under 5′5″ didn’t give her much of an edge, but she never let her smaller stature stop her from anything. “You don’t need to be a man to kick ass,” Dad used to say. </p><p>Riley smelled of her favorite black leather jacket that she always wore along with the only perfume she ever used. A simple, silver ring on her right hand, that she never took off, glistened in the light. It the only thing she still had left of her mother.</p><p>It was always so good to come home, she only wished was under better circumstances. Riley tried to brush off the thought that evil had come to her hometown and focused on the quiet roads. Every time she came to town, it felt as if she had never left. Nothing ever really changed in Lawrence but, that was one of the best things about it. Small ‘mom and pop’ shops lined the street and the trees had begun to softly litter the ground with colored leaves.</p><p>She couldn’t wait to get to Debbie’s. It had been too long since her last visit with her aunt and the idea of home brought warmth to her chest. But, first, Riley wanted to stop by the local florist to pick up Deb’s favorite flowers.</p><p>She knew lilies always made her aunt smile.</p><p>Riley slowly pulled into a parking spot before bringing the car came to a stop. She pat Finn on the head. “Be right back, buddy.” The sleepy pup laid back down on the leather seat and fell back into a blissful sleep as  he waited for his best friend. Closing the door behind her, she began to walk towards the shop.</p><p>A husky voice to her left spoke up and caught her attention. “That’s a great car.”</p><p>Riley turned to the stranger to see a tall man in a brown, worn leather jacket. With his hands tucked into his pockets, he stared back at her as he leaned against a gorgeous, black, classic car.</p><p>A smirk curled up on his face and Riley smiled back. “Thanks. I can say the same for yours. That’s a beautiful Impala–a ‘67 right?”</p><p>Clearly impressed, his smile grew and a spark lit up in his eyes. “Yeah, that’s right. So, you know your cars, huh?”</p><p>She walked closer to him and crossed her arms as the cold breeze hit her. “Dad was a bit of a grease monkey. Cars were something he could never shut up about.”</p><p>At a closer glance, Riley saw his hypnotic hazel-green eyes and the small freckles that peppered his face. His hair was a shorter, sandy blonde and fit him perfectly. His full lips caught her eye and she had to force herself not to gawk at him. But, she still took a brief moment to notice how his jeans hugged him just right.</p><p>The stranger let out a throaty chuckle and said, “my dad too. Looks like we were raised right. I’m Dean by the way.” He reached his hand out for hers and she took it in return.</p><p>“Riley.”</p><p>Her name struck something in Dean and he was instantly captivated. Her piercing blue eyes stared back at him and for a second he was lost in them. Something about her was intoxicating.</p><p>“So, you from around here?” he asked.</p><p>“Yeah. Lawrence is home–just came in for a visit.”</p><p>“Same.” He grinned at the beautiful woman in front of him, trying to play it as cool as he could. Riley instantly made him nervous, but in a way that made him want to ride out the high she gave him.</p><p>Dean couldn’t help but take in every part of her; the way her stray hairs blew around her face, how she curved in all the right places, and how her smile was something he wouldn’t have believed had he not seen it for himself.</p><p>“Well, I gotta run an errand and get going. It was nice to meet you, Dean.” Riley began to walk away, her boots softly crunching the leaves beneath her.</p><p>Dean didn’t want her to go, he had to get to know her. Somehow he knew, she was something special.</p><p>“Hey, Riley!” Dean called out as he jogged to catch up to her.</p><p>She turned to him with a smile, trying to hide how glad she was that he didn’t just let her leave.</p><p>“I’m gonna be in town for a bit and have some time to kill. Would you maybe want to get together later? Dinner?”</p><p>Riley’s heart fluttered as she tried to calm her excitement. “Sure. Do you know Debbie’s Diner?” she asked.</p><p>“Hell yeah. Best burgers in town. They make a mean apple pie.”</p><p>“I couldn’t agree more. Wanna meet me there around seven tonight?”</p><p>Dean flashed a smile that made her weak in the knees. It reached up his face and made the corner of his eyes crinkle.</p><p>“It’s a date” Dean replied.</p><p>She smirked back at him, revealing dimples that he immediately fell for, “see you then”. Riley turned to walk away, making sure to saunter just a bit to keep his attention.</p><p>Dean couldn’t help himself as he watched her walk into the florist shop. She was a knockout.</p><p>Filled with anticipation for the night to come, he hopped in the Impala and backed out of his spot. Dean wished he didn’t have to wait another minute to see Riley again. But, with a grin on his face and a fire in his eyes, he eagerly imagined the night to come.</p>
<hr/><p>Grabbing her duffel bag and the new flowers from behind her seat, Riley got out of the car.</p><p>Finn jumped out right behind her. He was wagging his tail with excitement knowing exactly where they were.</p><p>She walked to the back of the diner and went through the employee entrance. A small break room, that looked more like a family room, was warm and simply decorated. Couches, a TV, a coffee table, and a rug took up most of the room.</p><p>Riley pointed to the sofa and Finn hopped on. She briefly rubbed his ear and walked into the back entrance of the diner.</p><p>As she took a step onto the tile, the familiar smell of Debbie’s pies filled the air. The hiss of the fryer in the background making her famous fries made Riley’s mouth water. The soft music playing overhead reminded her of all the time she spent in that diner while growing up.</p><p>She took a deep breath and let out a sigh as she whispered to herself, “home.”</p><p>Riley saw Debbie and quietly crept up behind her. “Surprise!”</p><p>Debbie let out a small yelp and turned around. Her eyes widened and her smile grew too big for her face. “Riley!” She embraced her niece tightly and didn’t want to let her go. Riley was the daughter she never had and Deb missed her so desperately when she was gone that it hurt.</p><p>After a moment, she let go and gave a small tap to the side of Riley’s head. “You scared the crap outta me.”</p><p>Riley chuckled. “Sorry, Deb. But, I come bearing a peace offering.” She handed her the lilies and Deb knew she could never stay upset with her.</p><p>“Oh, honey, I missed you so much. I didn’t even know you were gonna be in town. Why didn’t you call?” Deb asked.</p><p>“Well, I came in for work and thought I’d surprise you.”</p><p>Debbie’s joy fell a little knowing exactly what ‘work’ meant. She hated what her niece did. The job had taken her whole family from her and the idea of losing Riley made her lose sleep at night.</p><p>Suddenly, Riley could feel the pain swell in her aunt. It turned her stomach and she felt fear, worry, and sadness all at once. She was left dumbfounded, unsure of what was happening.</p><p>
  <em>“This isn’t the life I wanted for her. Why can’t I convince her to stay?”</em>
</p><p>Riley froze realizing that Aunt Deb never spoke a word. She was rattled, unsure of what had happened. "<em>Did I just...hear her thoughts?</em> <em>Feel her emotions? No. That’s not possible,</em>” she thought before shaking it off and blaming it on exhaustion. She had been driving for a full day; of course, she was tired.</p><p>“Well, I gotta get these into a vase. Make yourself at home, but don’t think I won’t put you to work later.”</p><p>Riley chuckled, “yes ma'am. Uh, Deb? Do I smell fresh--”</p><p>“You and your pie,” Deb cut in. “I’ll grab you a slice.”</p><p>Riley grinned from ear to ear and gave her another hug. She took a deep breath and inhaled the smell of fresh food and her aunt’s vanilla shampoo, one of her favorite scents. “I’m so glad to be home, Deb.”</p>
<hr/><p>Dean was nervous and it had him on edge. He wasn’t used to the knots in his stomach. He was good with women and he knew it. But, Riley was somehow different. She did something to Dean and he was dying to find out what that was. </p><p>He let out a heavy exhale and ran his fingers through his hair. Getting out of the car, he straightened his jacket and headed towards the diner.</p><p>“It’s just a date,” he muttered to himself. “It’s just another date.”</p><p>He opened the door and a soft bell jingled. Dean didn’t see Riley and was happy that he had gotten there before her.</p><p>There was a sign that read: ‘<em>please seat yourself. We’ll be with you shortly.</em>’</p><p>He found a booth in the corner and sat down on the red padded seat. Fiddling with his hands and looking out the window, he was hoping she wouldn’t blow him off. Dean had been looking forward to seeing Riley again since the moment she walked away.</p><p>A familiar and appealing voice spoke out that brought him back into focus.</p><p>“Hey, glad you made it.”</p><p>He looked up to see the same big blue eyes that he hadn’t been able to get out of his head. Dean couldn’t believe he hadn’t made Riley up in a dream.</p><p>“Wouldn’t have missed it,” Dean replied.</p><p>“Want a beer?” she asked.</p><p>“Absolutely.”</p><p>Riley walked away and went behind the counter.</p><p>Dean watched her with his brow arched, confused as to why she was just helping herself. He saw Riley grab two bottles and pop them open, bringing one to her lips and taking a sip as she came back.</p><p>She put the bottles down and sat across from the smile that gave her butterflies.</p><p>Dean looked at her and chuckled, “you know, they don’t like it when you serve yourself.”</p><p>She tried to stifle a laugh while taking another sip from her beer. “I probably should have mentioned, this is my Aunt’s diner. This is kind of like my home.”</p><p>“Well, that makes a lot more sense. I was thinking you might just be a little wild,” he smirked.</p><p>“Oh, honey. You have no idea.”</p><p>Dean’s eyes widened at her response as he bit his lip. Her confident banter was beyond sexy and made her only that much more enticing.</p><p>Debbie walked to the table and pulled a pad and pen out from her white apron. “Hey, Riley. Want to introduce your friend?”</p><p>“Of course. Aunt Deb, this is Dean.”</p><p>Dean shook her hand. “Nice to meet you, ma'am.”</p><p>“<em>Ma'am</em>? Damn. When did I get old?”</p><p>They all let out a small laugh. Debbie took a moment and a look of recognition came over her face. Though she thought she might have known the boy, she didn’t want to embarrass Riley and ask too much.</p><p>Debbie pushed aside the thought and asked, “you kids wanna order?”</p><p>Dean motioned to Riley for her to go first.</p><p>“Just the usual, Deb. Cheeseburger and fries.”</p><p>Dean loved that she didn’t order a salad or something ridiculous and tasteless. A woman who appreciated good food was a turn on all on its own.</p><p>“And for the handsome one?” Debbie asked looking at Dean.</p><p>Riley rolled her eyes and pulled her lips together. Of course, Deb would say something like that.</p><p>Dean looked down and let out a shy laugh. Turning back to Deb, he gave a soft smile and said, “I’ll have the same.”</p><p>“Coming right up.” She shot the two a wink and quickly returned behind the counter as she tucked her pad away once more.</p><p>The two were finally alone. There was a moment of silence where they just smirked and soaked up being together.</p><p>“So, tell me about yourself, Dean,” Riley said in a calm and flirty tone.</p><p>“Well, uh--I’m from here, I have a little brother, I love cars and I may have a <em>slightly </em>unhealthy obsession with classic rock.”</p><p>Riley laughed and replied, “I’m the same way. I’m a sucker for when music was <em>actually</em> good, ya know? Def Leppard, AC/DC, Guns 'n Roses, Led Zeppelin…I have too many favorites to name.”</p><p>Dean couldn’t believe his luck. She was literally the perfect woman. “You know,” he said coolly, “Not a lot of girls are into all of that. I’m pleasantly surprised.” He took a sip from his beer with a flirty brow.</p><p>“Well, Dean. I’m definitely not like most girls.” Her smirk was trouble and he loved it. “My dad and I were always listening to music together. It was something that we both loved. Some of my best memories are of us belting out our favorites during our long drives.”</p><p>“Sounds like you and your dad are pretty close, huh?”</p><p>Riley’s eyes cast down and her face changed. “Dad, uh--he passed away about a year ago now.”</p><p>Dean saw the pain in her face and felt guilty for even asking the question. “I’m so sorry.”</p><p>“Thanks--definitely miss him,” she said choking on a lump in her throat. Riley downed a large swig of the beer, put it on the table, and fiddled with it in her hands trying to get out of her head.</p><p>Riley needed to change the subject. “What about you? You close with your parents?”</p><p>Dean sighed and wasn’t sure how to explain his relationship with his dad. God only knew how complicated that was. “Uh--dad and I are kinda close, I guess. He raised me and my brother--mom died when we were kids.”</p><p>“I lost my mom as a kid too. It was just me and dad. Now, Deb is all the family I got. Well, her and Finn.”</p><p>“Finn?”</p><p>“Finnick--my golden retriever. Kinda my partner in crime. He’s in the back–can’t have dogs in the diner.”</p><p>Dean let out a soft chuckle.</p><p>They got lost in conversation, talking about anything and everything. He made her laugh, and she needed that.</p><p>Riley loved that he thought she was funny and his laugh was genuine; it ran up her skin like a warm hug. Time stopped and the two of them let go of the world for just a little while.</p><p>After the burgers and fries were demolished and multiple beers were downed, Debbie stopped by the table with two pieces of fresh pie.</p><p>Dean’s eyes lit up. “Oh <em>God</em>, yes,” he mumbled with anticipation as the smell wafted his way.</p><p>The two ate their pie and Dean finally gathered the courage to ask what had been on his mind. “So, Riley, how the hell does a girl like you not have a boyfriend?” He didn’t notice his mouth was still somewhat full as he mumbled his words.</p><p>“And what makes you think I don’t have a boyfriend?” she teased.</p><p>Catching the game she was playing, Dean retorted, “well, I mean--you <em>did </em>take up an offer to go to dinner with a total stranger.”</p><p>Dean was a well trained flirt, that much was clear.</p><p>Riley smirked, finding him and his sense of humor endearing as she took a bite of the warm pie. Swallowing her food, Riley added, “well, I guess I just don’t stay in one place long enough. Kind of hard to build a relationship when you’re always on the road.”</p><p>Dean felt like she was singing his song. Somehow, she understood him. “I know that feeling all too well. Work keeps me traveling a lot.”</p><p>“What do you do?” she asked.</p><p>Careful not to reveal too much he answered, “uh--it’s a family business. We do a little bit of everything.”</p><p>Riley scoffed with a smile. “Well, that was vague.”</p><p>He laughed. “What can I say? I like to be a little mysterious. What about you?”</p><p>It was her turn to omit her full truth. “We’re kind of a family business too. Odd jobs here and there--just all over the place.”</p><p>He looked at her and felt she was hiding something, just like he was. Dean decided not to press it further though.</p><p>After their plates were finished, they stood up to leave.</p><p>Riley hugged Debbie and told her she’d be back soon.</p><p>“Be safe, sweetheart,” Deb told her niece. “It was nice to meet you, Dean.”</p><p>“Likewise, ma'am.”</p><p>“Oh, for the love of God, please call me Debbie.”</p><p>Dean smiled and put his hand out to give her some cash. “The food was delicious by the way.”</p><p>“Oh no, honey. It’s on the house. Here, I packed you a pie to go. Seems like you enjoyed it.”</p><p>Dean was all too happy with his gift. “Thank you, Debbie. I’ll definitely be back for more.”</p><p>With a final wave, Riley and Dean walked out of the diner and slowly meandered towards his Impala.</p><p>Walking side by side, they took their time with every step, not wanting to say goodnight. Normally, Dean would have already offered to take her back to his room, but not with Riley; she was different than the rest. She wasn’t just some chick he wanted to have a one night stand with. Dean wanted to see if there was something more and that thought alone was enough to terrify him.</p><p>The parking lot behind the diner was poorly lit and next to a quiet alleyway. The moon gave more light than the street lamps, but it was the perfect setting.</p><p>Dean leaned against the car and looked up at the stars. One of his favorite things about Kansas was you could always see the night sky.</p><p>Riley gazed up as well and they both sighed feeling the comfort of home.</p><p>“Dinner was great. Your aunt sure knows how to cook,” Dean said as his take-out bag crinkled in his hand.</p><p>“Yeah. She’s amazing. She seemed to really like you.”</p><p>“Good. ‘Cause I, uh--I don’t always do great with first impressions.”</p><p>“Well, you did just fine with me.” Riley bit her bottom lip, a smile showing through.</p><p>Dean let out a breathy laugh and their eyes locked. He was lost in hers and her in his. There was an electricity between them and it was as if an invisible force was pulling them together.</p><p>Riley took a step closer to him and Dean’s free hand brushed her hair behind her ear. She was so beautiful and Dean felt his stomach flip as he glanced down at her lips.</p><p>“I had a really good time tonight, Dean.”</p><p>“Me too. I’m just glad I got the guts to ask you out.”</p><p>She laughed and replied, “me too.”</p><p>It was then that they realized the gap between them had closed. They quietly looked at each other waiting for the other to make a move. Dean put a hand gently on the side of Riley’s face and her breath hitched. Her hands found his chest and felt his cool leather jacket under them. They inched closer, both feeling lightheaded as their lips ghosted over each other, barely touching.</p><p>A sudden, loud crash came from the alley, causing both of them to instantly pull away and look in the direction of the sound. It then instantly went quiet, eerily quiet.</p><p>That silence was abruptly broken as a horrific, snarling creature with long fangs shot out from the darkness, ready to attack. The vampire was practically already foaming at the mouth.</p><p>Charging at Dean first, the vampire went straight for his neck. Dean absently dropped his bag and punched the creature in the face, causing him to stumble. He then shoved the monster away with full force.</p><p>Both Riley and Dean shouted to each other in unison, “get behind me!” They shared a look of confusion, but knew any questions would have to wait.</p><p>Just as the monster got to his feet to lunge back at them, two more vampires came out from the shadows behind Riley and Dean. They were outnumbered.</p><p>As Dean went for the two to his right, Riley went for his original attacker. Dean pulled out his gun, but before he could shoot, he was grabbed and thrown onto the hard asphalt, the gun falling out of his hand.</p><p>Riley unsheathed the knife from her boot and brought it up ready to fight. The creature then pinned her to the wall as they both fought for power over the blade.</p><p>A deep voice rang out from somewhere nearby, “Dean!” A tall young man with shaggy hair came sprinting into the fray with a machete ready to aid Dean. He quickly came up behind the third creature and sliced its head clean off.</p><p>Dean grabbed his gun again and fired several rounds into one of the vampires; it fell to the floor in agony. Dean yelled out with worry, “Riley!” and ran in her direction.</p><p>Riley finally overpowered the creature and stabbed him in the gut, only slowing it down. She pushed him against the wall and immediately grabbed the lid from the metal trash can next to her. With all her might, and a forceful grunt, Riley plunged it into the vampire’s throat, decapitating the monster.</p><p>Dean stopped in his tracks with shock on his face.</p><p>As she wiped off the blood that had splattered onto her face, Riley turned to Dean. All three were out of breath, not sure what to make of what had just happened.</p><p>The remaining vampire laid on the ground, groaning in agony. Dean and his partner sauntered over to it and hovered above.</p><p>“What the fuck did you do to me?” the monster snarled.</p><p>“Those are dead man’s bullets, you son of a bitch.”</p><p>Riley strode in between the two boys with that same lid, slamming it down and finishing the monster’s final breath.</p><p>There was silence once again in the parking lot as they all panted.</p><p>Dean turned to Riley. “You’re a hunter?!”</p><p>“<em>You’re</em> a hunter?!” she replied in shock.</p><p>“Yeah. We came into town hearing about a vamp nest nearby.”</p><p>“Me too.” Intrigued, her curiosity unable to resist, Riley questioned, “dead man’s blood?”</p><p>“Oh, yeah. It’s uh--something Dad figured out. Bullet’s dipped in the blood of a dead man. Doesn’t kill ‘em, but it’ll hurt like hell.”</p><p>“Huh,” she replied plainly while in thought.</p><p>Still catching their breath, no one knew what to say until Dean finally motioned to his partner. “Oh, this is my brother Sam. Sam, this is Riley.”</p><p>She looked up at the brother. He looked so young, handsome like his brother, but in his own way. He had soft hazel eyes and his brown hair swept over his forehead. Though Dean was much taller than Riley, Sam practically towered over her smaller figure.</p><p>Riley had a realization that struck her like a bus. “Wait--Sam and Dean? As in Sam and Dean <em>Winchester</em>? <em>John’s</em> kids?”</p><p>The brothers stared at each other and Sam finally spoke up with an incredulous look. “Uh--yeah. Do we know you?”</p><p>“Your dad was my dad’s hunting buddy.”</p><p>“Who was your dad?” Dean asked.</p><p>“Jackson Munroe.”</p><p>Dean’s eyes grew. “<em>Jack</em> Munroe? He and dad hunted together for years. Damn, he was a hell of a hunter.” He let out a heavy exhale of disbelief. “Man, I can’t believe you’re Jack’s daughter.”</p><p>“Dad didn’t do too well hearing about Jack last year. I’m so sorry, Riley,” Sam added.</p><p>Riley nodded in gratitude as she pulled her knife from the vampire’s corpse. She cleaned it on the creature’s shirt and sheathed it again. “How’s your dad by the way? I haven’t seen John in a while.”</p><p>Sam scoffed, “yeah, join the club.”</p><p>Dean scowled at Sam and then turned back to Riley. “We’re actually looking for him right now. He went on a hunting trip and we haven’t heard from him in a while.”</p><p>“It’s John Winchester. I wouldn’t be too worried,” she said. They found themselves in that familiar silence again. “Well, I don’t know about you two, but I could use a drink. My aunt has an apartment above the diner and I happen to know that she has some whiskey hidden away upstairs, if you’re interested.”</p><p>“I am definitely not gonna turn that offer down,” Dean answered with a tired smirk.</p><p>While Riley dragged one of the corpses off to the dumpster, Sam grabbed Dean’s shoulder and turned him towards him. “<em>That’s</em> the girl you went out with tonight?”</p><p>“Yeah. She’s incredible. Did you see her? Dude, she’s a total badass.” He smiled like an excited kid as he tapped his brother’s chest.</p><p>Sam let out a breathy chuckle in agreeance and they both went to help Riley remove the evidence of their violent supernatural encounter.</p>
<hr/><p>The three hunters stepped into a small apartment; it was cozy and welcoming. Pictures of the Munroe family made it feel like a real home, one that neither Sam or Dean had ever experienced.</p><p>Riley closed the door behind them and a happy dog came running to her. He jumped up to hug her and she rubbed his back. “Hey, Finn. You been a good boy?” He got down, stood next to her, and observed the strangers.</p><p>Sam bent down and Finn went to smell him. He pet him and the dog wagged his tail in appreciation.</p><p>“What a beautiful dog,” Sam told her. “I always wanted one. But, uh--Dean’s not exactly a huge fan of dogs.”</p><p>Dean gave Sam a nasty look and then shot back to Riley with a big cheesy smile. “I like dogs--I do. He doesn’t know what he’s talking about.” Riley turned with a questioning expression on her face and Dean slugged Sam in the arm. “Dude, <em>not</em> cool.”</p><p>Riley went to the kitchen, grabbed glasses from the shelves, and found the bottle of whiskey stashed under the sink. The boys went to the table and she brought everything to join them. Finn settled next to her chair and laid his head on her feet.</p><p>As Riley poured the glasses, Dean let out a scoff. “Man, what are the odds? I mean, it’s Lawrence--small town…but still.”</p><p>Taking a drink, Riley sighed as it burned in her throat. “You’re not wrong.”</p><p>Sam let out a throaty chuckle. “Life’s funny that way, I guess.”</p><p>The front door opened and Deb walked in, her apron draped over her arm as her fingers worked to take her hair out of its tied up bun. Finn ran to greet her and she rubbed his head before looking up.</p><p>“Oh, didn’t know we were having company. Dean, nice to see you again.”</p><p>“You too, Debbie. This is my brother, Sam.”</p><p>Her eyes grew wide and Riley chuckled before telling her, “yup, Sam and Dean Winchester.” She turned to the brothers. “And yes, Deb knows all about it.”</p><p>“I <em>knew</em> I recognized that face. Dean, I haven’t seen you since you were a kid. And Sam…my God, you were just a baby.” Deb pulled up a chair and joined the group. “Now that love of pie makes so much sense. You were the same way as a little boy,” she said eyeing Dean.</p><p>Dean let out a small gasp of frustration as he remembered his forgotten to-go bag. “Dammit! I dropped my pie back in the alley.”</p><p>Debbie laughed, “don’t worry, honey. There’s plenty where that came from.” She got up, grabbed two pies from the refrigerator and some forks before bringing them to the table. “Dig in. We don’t need plates when we’re with family.” Dean lit up with excitement and went right for the pie as Riley did the same. “So, the Winchesters are back in Lawrence. Is your dad with you?”</p><p>“We’re only in town for the case. Dad’s out kind of doing his own thing right now,” Dean said with a full mouth.</p><p>“You boys came in for the vamp nest, didn’t you?”</p><p>“Yes, ma'am,” Sam chimed in.</p><p>Dean shook his head with his cheeks stuffed, “mm-mm. She doesn’t like that. Gotta call her Debbie.”</p><p>Sam, being slightly embarrassed by his brother, returned to his conversation. “So, you know all about the job?”</p><p>“Oh, yes,” she replied. Deb lifted a small bite of pie to her mouth, chewed and swallowed, followed by a sigh. “My brother was a hunter–cost him his damn life.” </p><p>Sadness fell over Riley’s face. She hated that her aunt still hurt so deeply. Not to mention how disappointed she was that Riley was following in her father’s footsteps.</p><p>“We heard about Jack. We were all so sad to hear of his passing,” Sam added. “If you don’t mind me asking, we never really heard what happened.”</p><p>Riley put her fork down, ran her hand through her hair as it fell back in her face and she took a deep breath. Dean could see the pain in her eyes and put his hand on top of hers that sat on the table. She looked at him and could see he genuinely cared. He was calming her. How he was able to do that already was beyond her comprehension.</p><p>“Dad had been hunting down the thing that killed mom for as long as I can remember. That’s why he became a hunter. I don’t even remember my mom. I was only six months old when she died. But, the night Dad died,” Riley paused as she swirled the liquid in her glass. “He didn’t tell me anything was wrong. He said 'he had to handle some business’ and went alone. I would have never let him go if I had known something was gonna happen.” Riley choked back tears and cleared her throat before her jaw twitched with a hint of anger. “God help that yellow-eyed son of a bitch if he’s what took my dad from me.”</p><p>“Wait a minute. Was your dad after a demon? A <em>demon</em> with yellow eyes?” Dean asked.</p><p>Both Riley and Deb’s faces went white. They looked at each other and then back at Dean as they both froze.</p><p>Debbie’s voice cracked in her throat. “H--how did you know that?”</p><p>“Because that’s the same thing that killed our mom too.” Sam’s was completely taken back as he answered her. “Dean, Jack must have been working with Dad on the case the whole time. We always knew they went on hunts together, but Dad never really talked about them.”</p><p>Deb took a breath and continued, “he was gone so much. Riley was just a baby and spent a lot of her time with me--I practically raised her. But, whenever Jackson would come back home, he would teach her everything he could about hunting. I hated every second of it. Watching her learn to handle a gun when she was only in kindergarten made me sick. But, Riley wanted to be a ‘<em>hero</em>’ just like her daddy. I knew I couldn’t stop her, no matter how hard I tried.” She grabbed her glass and downed the last bit of whiskey, trying to stifle her emotions. "And then one day, 'Riley was old enough to hunt’,” she scoffed in annoyance. “She was just a child, but she didn’t want to be away from her father and wanted to help him find the thing that killed her mom.”</p><p>“Deb, I didn’t want to leave, but I had to.” Riley reached her hand to Debbie’s and squeezed. “You were like a mom to me. That never changed.” Deb returned the loving gesture and exhaled.</p><p>“So, you hunt alone now?” Dean asked Riley, surprised.</p><p>“Yup. Well, Finn comes too...sometimes. He’s mostly there for the company on the rides and in the motels, but he’s saved my life a couple times. He’s the only partner I’ve ever had besides Dad.” She reached under the table and pet the sleepy dog.</p><p>“Well,” Deb sighed as she stood up. “I have to go close the diner and clean up. Riley, you’re off the clock tonight. Stay here and enjoy the rest of your night.” She kissed Riley’s head and looked to the boys. “It was nice to see you both.”</p><p>“You too,” replied Dean. “Thanks for everything.”</p><p>Debbie gave a half-smile and headed out the door.</p><p>Riley stood to clear the table and Sam stopped her, “I got it,” he told her.</p><p>She realized that Dean had never let go of her hand. They had absently intertwined their fingers and found comfort in each other. Riley glanced at him and their eyes locked. That electricity was there again and they could practically feel the charge in the air around them.</p><p>Sam quickly cleaned up and then turned to see the two of them. He cleared his throat, reminding them that he was still there. “Well, I’m gonna head back to the motel. Thanks for everything, Riley. It was really nice to meet you.”</p><p>“You too, Sam.”</p><p>The brothers exchanged looks and Dean nodded in his direction as to say, ‘<em>I’ll be there in a bit’</em>.</p><p>Sam acknowledged the notion, pat the dog, and left.</p><p>Finally, they were alone again.</p><p>“Come on.” Riley grabbed her glass with her free hand and lead Dean to the couch with the other. He scooped up his own glass as well.</p><p>The couch was dark blue and incredibly clean. Dean was impressed with how neat and tidy Deb kept her home.</p><p>They both sat down and looked at each other.</p><p>“I gotta admit, Winchester, I did <em>not</em> see tonight going the way it did.”</p><p>Dean let out a throaty laugh. “Definitely not.” He searched for the right words. “You’re incredible though, Riley. You just keep surprising me.”</p><p>“In all good ways, I hope.”</p><p>She smirked at him and he felt chills go up his neck. “In all the best ways,” Dean said. She smiled and took a drink. Pausing, Dean gathered the courage to keep talking. “You were right, you know? You’re not like most girls. You’re something different altogether. …I actually don’t think I’ve ever met anyone like you.” He looked up and caught her eye as the charge surging between them only grew.</p><p>“Listen,” he said, putting down both their drinks. “I gotta do this before something stops me again or I know I’m gonna regret it.” Dean pushed her hair away from her face before taking her chin in his hand. Slowly, the space between them closed and their lips touched.</p><p>Riley felt a spark in her that she never had with anyone else. It was terrifying but amazing. <em>He</em> was amazing.</p><p>As the kiss intensified, Riley’s hands slipped behind his neck and his other hand found her hip. They pulled each other close together and began to lose themselves in the moment. The rest of the world faded. The pain, the stress, the monsters, all but forgotten. All that existed was them.</p><p>Dean ran his hands through her hair as she pulled him close by his jacket. <em>“I’m not gonna let this girl go,” </em>Dean thought to himself before slowly laying her down on the couch, their kiss never breaking.</p>
<hr/><p>The next morning, the boys drove down the main strip of town, the sound of Baby rumbling beneath them. That Chevy was the only home Sam and Dean had ever known, the only constant in their lives besides each other.</p><p>Dean flipped open his phone to reveal a message from Riley.</p><p>‘C<em>ome in through the back. See you soon’.</em></p><p>A Blue Oyster Cult song played softly from Dean’s go-to cassette tape.</p><p>Sam broke the silence saying, “so, you sure you wanna see Riley after your night together? I mean, I have <em>never </em>seen you do that before.”</p><p>Dean knew he was right. “It’s not like that, Sam. We kissed, that’s all. And yeah, I <em>definitely</em> want to see her.”</p><p>Sam was pleasantly surprised by his brother’s response and nodded in understanding.</p><p>After turning off the engine, they stepped out of the car, the doors creaking behind them as they slammed shut.</p><p>As the brothers walked around the back, they saw the diner in the daylight. Memories from the night before played in their minds; remnants of blood that couldn’t be scrubbed away were still staining the concrete.</p><p>Opening the back door, the two stepped inside.</p><p>Riley was sitting cross-legged on the couch with papers, newspapers, and a map sprawled around her on one side and Finn on the other. She glanced up, trying to not seem too eager to see Dean. “Hey, guys. Good morning.”</p><p>“Morning,” they both replied.</p><p>Dean sat on a single chair close to Riley and Sam made himself comfortable on the longer end of the sofa as he greeted Finn. The golden pup was already a fan of the youngest Winchester.</p><p>Riley sipped her coffee and nodded towards the side table. “There’s a fresh pot if you want some, help yourselves.”</p><p>Dean got up and poured two mugs full, giving one to Sam and then returning to his chair.</p><p>He looked at Riley and studied her. She was just as beautiful in the morning. Her hair up in a messy bun and glasses that were sexy as hell rested on her nose. She was wearing sweats, a Led Zeppelin t-shirt, and socks. Riley didn’t even have to try to impress Dean. It happened so naturally.</p><p>“So, whaddya got?”</p><p>“Well, looks like all the attacks have been up north on the furthest skirts of town towards the city of Midland.”</p><p>Sam chimed in. “I did some digging and I haven’t seen a single attack here before the recent ones this last week. It’s so weird that they just showed up in Lawrence out of nowhere.”</p><p>“Yeah, but with the death toll piling up, and the visit from our friends last night, I’d say it’s a safe bet we have a full-blown nest now. Now where they came from? I don’t have a damn clue.” Riley pushed everything to the side to focus on the conversation and the warm coffee in her two cupped hands. She always joked about how the smell of coffee would ‘wake up her soul’ as she was not a morning person.</p><p>“Okay, so what’s the plan?” Dean asked while he sipped at his warm mug.</p><p>“I say we stake it out tonight. If we think we can handle it, we go in. If not, we gather intel and we’ll regroup for tomorrow. At least if we’re there, they can’t leave without us knowing,” Riley added.</p><p>“Sounds good to me. Guess we have the day to kill,” Dean said with hope in his voice.</p><p>Sam knew where his brother’s head was at and smiled at the thought of Dean being so keen to be with this new girl.</p><p>“Well, let’s go grab some breakfast and we’ll make plans from there. I am in <em>dire</em> need of more coffee. I’ll go change and meet you in the diner.” Riley got up and pat her side for Finn to follow.</p><p>“Great! I’m starving” Sam shot out in response.</p><p>“Meet you in ten.”</p><p>Dean watched her disappear up the stairs, his eyes locked on her.</p><p>Once she was gone, Sam laughed.</p><p>“What?” Dean asked.</p><p>“Dude, could you be more obvious?”</p><p>“...shut up.”</p>
<hr/><p>After a day of lounging in Deb’s apartment, copious amounts of delicious food, and a couple of classic movies, it was time for the hunters to head out.</p><p>Grabbing her gear and giving a kiss on Finn’s soft head, Riley followed the boys out to the car.</p><p>Dean popped the trunk to check on their supplies while the sun set softly behind them. The sky was barely lit with beautiful orange and yellow light coming over the horizon.</p><p>Riley peered down into the trunk and was thrilled with all the different ‘hunter toys’ it held. “Oh, my God.” She pulled out a baseball bat wrapped in barbed-wire and grinned as she admired it. “This is so badass.”</p><p>Dean chortled admiring the weapon as well. “That’s actually one of Dad’s favorites.”</p><p>“Don’t think I won’t be taking a swing with this baby at some point.”</p><p>Sam let out a playful sigh. “My God, there’s two of them.”</p><p>After Riley and Dean exchanged a flirty glance, they shut the trunk and walked around Baby. Sam went to the front passenger door and opened it for Riley.</p><p>“Such a gentlemen” she teased.</p><p>After all three were in the car, Dean started the engine and cranked up the music. “Let’s do this.”</p>
<hr/><p>Night had fallen as the Impala’s lights shut off and rolled to a stop. It hid behind some brush just shy of a rusted metal gate that led up to private property. From there, the hunters could still watch to make sure no one left the cabin on the hill.</p><p>A beat-up old van was parked in front, warm lights seeping out of the house windows.</p><p>The still night’s silence surrounded the car with only the sound of crickets chirping around them.</p><p>“Did you happen to get maps for the property? Do we know if there’s a way out on the other side?” Riley was frustrated that she wasn’t able to find them while researching.</p><p>“No,” Sam responded.</p><p>“Dammit.”</p><p>Dean saw an opportunity to get a moment with Riley and formulated a plan. He put his arm over the seat and looked back at Sam. “Well, Sammy, how about we stay here and you do recon around the property? You can come back and let us know what you find.” A look of ‘play along’ sat eagerly on his face.</p><p>Sam rolled his eyes. “Sure. Why not?” he said with annoyance in his voice. Grabbing a flashlight and packing his gun into his hip, he got out of the car and tried to close the door gently.</p><p>Dean peeked his head through the crack in the window and whispered, “take your time. No rush.”</p><p>Sam rolled his eyes again and began his trudge down the road, keeping his eyes peeled.</p><p>With Sam no longer in view, Riley and Dean were alone again. They both had been hoping all day for the moment that would happen.</p><p>Riley couldn’t tell if the night before meant as much to him as it did to her. Maybe it was just a playful moment together after a fight, leftover adrenaline egging them on.</p><p>What she didn’t know was Dean had been aching to kiss her again all day as he replayed their time on the couch together again and again.</p><p>Dean cleared his throat. “Listen, at the risk of sounding like a complete idiot,” he stopped and laughed under his breath. “I really like you and I actually had a really great time with you last night. Even if it was interrupted by blood-crazed monsters.” They both let out breathy giggles. “But, had that not happened, I may have never seen what a kick-ass hunter you are.”</p><p>Riley’s stomach flipped. Knowing that she impressed him filled her with pride that she couldn’t contain. Watching him in the fray the night before turned her on and she couldn’t wait to see him in action again. “Last night was pretty awesome. Definitely my most interesting date so far.”</p><p>Dean’s lips pressed together while a smile grew behind them. She looked so perfect. There hadn’t been a moment since they met that he didn’t think so.</p><p>Riley bit her lip catching his gaze and it was happening all over again.</p><p>With heated eyes, Dean leaned in and pressed his lips to hers. Their eyes shut as they were both lost in the gentle moment between them. They broke apart only to softly smile and look at each other once again, fire and hunger for the other growing with every second. Breathing heavily and not able to take it another second, the two crashed their lips together and pulled each other as close together as possible. And yet, it still wasn’t close enough.</p><p>Dean’s hands were everywhere; grabbing at her sides, her face, in her hair and on her neck. Riley tugged at his shirt and pulled at the nape of his neck while the short hairs rubbed against her hand. The two hunters were completely lost in each other, even forgetting they were on a case.</p><p>The back door opened and they both jumped to look back at Sam getting in the car.</p><p>Sam hesitated when he saw the couple. “Oh, I’m sorry, should I come back?” he asked sarcastically.</p><p>“Shut up, Sam. What’d you find out?” Dean asked trying to subtly catch his breath.</p><p>“This is their only way out. If they leave, we’ll know it. I was able to get a view into the window and heard them talking. They’re <em>pissed</em> about the three vamps we took out last night. Losing them apparently brought their nest down to four. They know it happened behind the diner and they plan to hit it hard.”</p><p>Riley’s eyes grew with anger and a hint of panic at the thought of Deb getting in harm’s way. “That’s it. I say we handle these bastards now. No way in hell am I letting them near my home.”</p><p>Dean loved seeing that side of her, the hunter side. She was always ready for a fight and clearly had true loyalty in her. It made her that much more attractive and he wanted her even more.</p><p>With Dean’s mind set on being at her side and raring to go, he looked to her and then Sam. “Agreed. Sam, you in?”</p><p>“Let’s go,” the younger brother replied.</p><p>The three got out quietly and grabbed their gear from the trunk. A gun on each of their hips, knives hidden in boots or sheathed in jackets, and a machete in hand.</p><p>Riley reached for the bat and studied it in her hands. She gave a fiery look that sent chills up Dean’s spine, diving him wild, while her hands tightened their grip around it.</p><p>With purpose and intensity, the three marched up the hill, ready for whatever awaited them behind that cabin door.</p><p>The remaining four vampires sat in the main room venting their anger in front of a roaring fireplace.</p><p>Thirsty for blood and revenge, one of the men with black hair and a large build hissed under his breath. “I’m not waiting. Those fuckin’ hunters took out our kin. They die <em>tonight</em>.”</p><p>With the rest of the nest in agreeance, they got up ready to leave.</p><p>Just as their decision was made, the door was kicked open. It swung with force and slammed against the wall. Chips from where the door met the frame splintered out.</p><p>Riley went in first, ready to lead the others. Taking large, controlled strides into the house, she swung the bat with abandon and hit the black-haired monster in the head, caving in the side of his skull. He hit the floor and Riley swung another two times ensuring that he was down, blood splattering from his fresh wounds.</p><p>Dean and Sam went in opposite directions ready to take their part in the fight. Punches were thrown and the youngest Winchester took a blow to the jaw that caused him to falter back, but Sam shook it off and charged back at the creature.</p><p>On the other side of the room, Dean faced off with a long-haired vampire in a leather vest. As they danced around a bit, trying to corner each other, Dean looked the monster over with a chuckle. “Dude, you know, you <em>reek</em> of 'douchebag’, right?.”</p><p>The vested animal let his rage take over and rushed at Dean, creating the perfect opportunity for the hunter to duck away. He spun around and sliced the vampire’s head off its shoulders.</p><p>Turning around while still riding the high of the kill, Dean then removed the head of the other monster that was fighting his brother.</p><p>Riley, face to face with the only remaining creature, was met with a monstrous woman with a pixie haircut. Her teeth were bared and she snarled at the hunter.</p><p>“You, <em>bitch</em>! You come into <em>our</em> house and kill <em>my</em> family?”</p><p>A cocky smile grew on Riley’s face as she tensed around the bat and jested, “better yours than mine, you piece of shit.” After a couple of swings and misses, the vampire lost her step and was met with a swipe to the side of her face. She hit the ground, blood dripping from her head as she realized she could no longer stand.</p><p>Riley took her time and walked behind her. She reached out her hand to trade her weapon for Dean’s machete. She grasped it firmly and walked back to the beaten monster who was leaning back on her hands.</p><p>Barely able to get out words the woman hissed through her breaths, “you…hunters…you’ll never win. There’s too many of us. We’ll always…come for you.”</p><p>With one final look, Riley replied, “and we’ll always be ready.” With one swift motion, the blade cut off the evil creature’s head and it thumped to the ground.</p>
<hr/><p>Baby pulled up in front of the diner. Deb had already closed up for the night and must have gone to bed as all of the lights were out.</p><p>Exhausted, covered in blood, and still coming down from the adrenaline of the tussle, there was quiet between them.</p><p>“You know, Riley, you’re a damn good hunter,” Sam admitted from the back seat.   “We could use someone like you on hunts more often.”</p><p>“He’s right,” Dean added. “You kicked serious ass tonight.”</p><p>Riley sighed. “This was actually the first time I hadn’t gone on a hunt alone since I lost Dad. I guess I was always too scared to--” her voice trailed off. “I couldn’t afford to lose another partner.” Her head fell slightly and she knew that if she got too close to the boys, odds were, she would lose them too.</p><p>“Hey,” Dean said lifting her chin up softly to look at him. “Look, this job sucks. We’ve lost more friends and family than we ever care to admit–it hurts every damn day. And the thought of losing more? It’s almost too much to live with. But, this ain’t a one-man show, sweetheart. We survive because we do it together.”</p><p>A small smile came over Riley’s face and she knew he was right.</p><p>Sam’s hand landed on her shoulder and her hand went to rest on top of his. “You have two partners right here if it feels right to you. We can figure out all this shit as a team. We can go after Yellow Eyes, together. We got your back.”</p><p>The thought thrilled Dean to his core and he couldn’t help but grin. “Sam’s right. So, whaddya say, kid?”</p><p>A million thoughts ran through Riley’s head while she tried to fight her fear of getting too close to anyone. There was a reason she tended to keep to herself.</p><p>“I--I need to think about it. I know you guys are headed out in the morning. So...I guess I’ll let you know then.”</p><p>Riley’s uncertainty kept her hesitant, afraid to make the wrong decision.</p><p>Both brothers nodded in agreement and a swell of comradery swept through the car. Whatever her decision, an undeniable bond had been formed.</p><p>Leaning over, Riley planted a soft kiss on Dean’s lips. She looked at him and then back at Sam, “goodnight, guys.” Getting out of the car and swinging her bag over her shoulder, she disappeared into the back of the diner.</p><p>Dean’s eyes had watched her every move until she was out of sight. “I really hope she says yes, Sam.”</p>
<hr/><p>It was a brisk morning and more leaves had covered the streets and sidewalks of the quiet street. The mood in the town had shifted and even the air felt lighter.</p><p>Evil had left Lawrence, for the time being.</p><p>Dean stood leaning against Baby, never breaking his gaze from the diner door. He had tossed and turned all night worried that he would have to say goodbye to Riley, and he just wasn’t ready.</p><p>Sam saw the concern in his eyes. “She still might come, Dean. We’ll give her a few more minutes.” Even he was keeping his hope that the new friend he had made would be leaving with them.</p><p>Dean’s heart sank and with a heavy sigh, he turned to the door to get in the car. As he did, he heard the soft jingle of the diner’s bell behind him. He spun at the sound and beamed when he saw her.</p><p>Riley was grinning from ear to ear, a bag over her shoulder, and a guitar case in her hand. Finn and Deb followed close behind.</p><p>“Still got room for one more, Winchesters?”</p><p>“Hell yeah.” Dean hugged her and happily took her things to put in the back seat.</p><p>Sam went to her and embraced her tightly. “You play guitar?”</p><p>“Oh, honey, I’m full of surprises.”</p><p>Riley walked over to Finn and got down to his level. With a tear in her eye, she pet him and rubbed his ears while she looked him over.</p><p>“I love you, buddy. But, we’re going after something too big and I can’t risk you getting hurt. Aunt Deb’s gonna take good care of you. I promise I’ll be back soon.” She wrapped her arms around the whining dog and kissed his head. “I love you so much.” Tears crept up in Riley’s eyes and the lump in her throat threatened every breath she took.</p><p>Getting up, Riley squeezed Deb in a loving embrace.</p><p>Her aunt whispered in her ear while her voice broke and held back tears with each word. “You come back to us, you hear me?”</p><p>“I promise. I love you so much.”</p><p>The two tried to pull themselves together as Riley stepped away and walked towards the Impala.</p><p>Debbie hugged both of the boys and handed Dean a large bag. “It’s filled with food for the road. I made sure I packed some pie in there too.” She winked and Dean’s smile was beyond enthusiastic. He then hugged her one more time. “You take care of her,” Deb told him softly.</p><p>“Thank you, for everything. I promise to get her back to you.”</p><p>The trio got in the car; Riley, and Dean in the front again with Sam in the back.</p><p>With tears slowly rolling down her cheeks, Riley waved one more time. She had no idea how long it would be until she would be with her family again.</p><p><em>“I hope I made the right choice,”</em> she thought as she wiped the tears from her face.</p><p>Dean backed out of the spot and headed on the road. Finn and Debbie were right where Riley had left them as they faded in the side mirror.</p><p>Seeing her pain, Dean squeezed her hand. Riley took a deep breath and tried to calm herself.</p><p>“Music?” She asked as she turned the dial.</p><p>Nothing took her mind off things like the beautiful sound of memories. That’s what music was. It was solace, it was Dad.</p><p>Bob Seger’s ‘<em>Night Moves’</em> came through the speakers and it was as if Jackson had sent a message just for her. That was their song and Riley beamed knowing he was always with her.</p><p>“I love this song!” The music swept through her soul and Riley sang to the tune. <em>“I was a little too tall, could’ve used a few pounds. Tight pants, points hardly reknown. She was a black-haired beauty with big dark eyes. And points all her own sitting way up high…”</em></p><p>“Woah, and she sings too,” Dean teased as he soaked up every beautiful sound that she shared.</p><p>“Always the tone of surprise with you, Dean. <em>Out past the cornfields where the woods got heavy. Out in the back seat of Dean’s '67 Chevy. Workin’ on mysteries without any clues.</em> Come on, boys!”</p><p>Dean watched her as she warmed his heart. Every word and ridiculous sway she did in the front seat of his car was magic, she was magic.</p><p>The brothers chuckled and joined in as they all sang in unison.</p><p>
  <em>“Workin’ on our night moves. Trying’ to make some front page drive-in news. Workin’ on our night moves in the summertime. In the sweet summertime.”</em>
</p><p>At that moment, driving past the sign reading: <em>‘you are now leaving Lawrence, come back soon!’</em> and lost in the night moves, the three of them let the weight on their shoulders fall.</p><p>It felt right, like pieces of a puzzle were slowly coming together and finally making sense.</p><p>Sam got comfortable in the back seat and Riley scooted closer to Dean. The older Winchester wrapped his arm around her as they both imagined the roads to come.</p><p>That day was the start of something bigger than the three hunters could ever have known. Call it fate or destiny, but Sam, Dean, and Riley’s lives would never be the same.</p><p>
  <em>“I woke last night to the sound of thunder. How far off, I sat and wondered. Started humming a song from nineteen sixty-two. Ain’t it funny how the night moves when just don’t seem to have as much to lose? Strange how the night moves...with autumn closing in.”</em>
</p>
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<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Bloody Mary</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>SERIES REWRITE<br/>Season 1 Chapter 2</p><p>DISCLAIMER: any words or phrases in bold in the story are not my own and are credited to the writers of Supernatural.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It had been several weeks since Riley, Sam and Dean had left Lawrence together. The trio had already handled three cases, a Wendigo, the ghost of a vengeful spirit, and a demon that was hell-bent on crashing planes. Riley still had a small cut on her forehead from taking a hit during the insane turbulence aboard the flight.</p><p>Needless to say, the hunters had kept plenty busy.</p><p>Riley was sound asleep in the back of the car and Sam was in his own dreamland in the front seat, leaving Dean to drive.</p><p>Shooting out of his deep slumber, Sam was shaking and left gasping for air. Nightmares and constant memories of Jessica’s final moments and the horrors of watching her unspeakable death were strangling the life from him. Her soft voice in his dreams still echoed like the firing of a gun.</p><p>It woke Riley and she lunged in his direction in a natural reflex to help. “Are you okay?”</p><p>“Yeah...bad dream I guess.” He tried to compose himself.</p><p>Dean glanced at Sam. <b>“You’ve been having a lot of those lately.”</b></p><p>Riley pulled herself against the seat next to his head. She could hear the trembling in his voice, he was terrified. Laying a hand on his shoulder, she told him, “I get ‘em too.” It was the only comfort she could offer him.</p><p>As they connected, a wave of heartbreak and shame ran through Riley. It was enough to nearly knock her back. It took everything she had not to sob from the pain. A tear escaped her eyes and rolled down her cheek. Riley quickly wiped it away, hoping they didn’t see. Overwhelmed with emotions she couldn’t understand, she tried to breathe through it.</p><p>
  <em>“I miss her so much.”<br/>
</em>
</p><p>She had watched Sam’s face and his lips had never moved. “<em>This can’t be happening</em>,” she thought. It had been happening more and more frequently since that day with Deb in the diner. <em>“...am I going crazy?</em>”</p><p>Dean finally decided to speak up. “Ya know, I was actually gonna bring that up, Riley--I just didn’t know how. Even in the next room, I can hear you crying in your sleep. You both have <em>got</em> to try to relax.” Dean tried to focus on the road ahead. He couldn’t stop constantly worrying about them both.</p><p>As they pulled into an old fill up station on the highway, Baby’s engine purred softly before coming to a stop in front of a gas pump.</p><p>“I’ll grab the snacks,” Sam said as he hopped out of the car and headed to the small convenience shop. His hands were in his pockets with his head hung low.</p><p>Riley knew where Sam’s head was at. She and Sam had become close in such a short amount of time and had told each other practically everything. In their first week together, after a couple beers, Sam opened up to her about Jessica an d what had happened.</p><p>His heart broke all over again telling Riley exactly how he had lost the love of his life.</p><p>She laid her arms on top of the front seat and rested her head on them. “Dean, I’m worried about him.”</p><p>He sighed while watching his little brother through the store windows. “I know. I just don’t know how to help him, ya know?”</p><p>“I don’t think you can.”</p><p>Dean turned his head towards her and a look of empathy and understanding was staring back at him. Looking into her eyes was like watching the ocean, tranquil and inviting. His heart ached a little less from that look alone.</p><p>“I know,” Dean nodded, trying to make peace with the fact that he couldn’t fix Sam’s pain.</p><p>“You’re a good brother, Dean.” Riley leaned in and gave him a gentle kiss. It was enough to soften the worry on his face. She smiled. “I’ll be right back.” Riley got out and jogged over to the restroom.</p><p>Dean never took his eyes off her just as he always did, soaking in every movement she made.</p><p>He got out and paid at the pump with a fake credit card under the name ‘Mark Smith’. A cool breeze blew against him and he shivered. He popped up his jacket collar and nuzzled into it. The late November wind held winter in the air.</p><p>As he began to fuel up, Sam came back, a bag of snacks and drinks in hand.</p><p>Sam threw the plastic bag on the front seat and leaned up against the car. Opening his new water, he looked at his brother. “So, what’s going on with you guys? Are you dating? Are you together…?” Sam knew there was no easing into those questions.</p><p>“Actually, I don’t know what we are. I just know I like her--a lot. She makes me happy--happier than I have been in a long time. The label doesn’t really matter, ya know? As long as I’m with her, I’m good.”</p><p>Sam was happy for his brother. He had never seen him bond with a girl the way he had been with Riley. The playboy he knew was falling for his new friend...hard; Sam could read it on Dean’s face.</p><p>Then sadness swept back through him. That was what Jess was for Sam, she had been his everything. He would give anything to hold her one more time, to tell her how much he loved her.</p><p>As they all get back in the car, Sam changed the subject to push the pain aside if only for a brief moment.</p><p>“Alright, so we got a case. Toledo, Ohio. Daughter finds her dad dead on the floor of the bathroom, covered in blood that had all drained from his eyes. And get this, they were almost completely liquidated.”</p><p>Dean made a face of utter disgust. “Well, that’s lovely. No sign of a struggle?”</p><p>“Nope. And no evidence whatsoever. No fingerprints, DNA, witnesses...nothing.”</p><p>“Well, it sounds like we’re going to Toledo,” Riley added.</p><p>The engine revved and Riley reached over the seat to grab a bag of chips out of the snack bag as they drove out of the station.</p>
<hr/><p>Riley, Sam, and Dean walked into the Toledo coroner's office. Dean tried to muster up a good excuse for the coroner’s assistant to let them see the body. But, after they failed to get by while claiming they were med students, Sam decided to butt in. He handed the guy $100 and the assistant nodded towards the door for them to follow him in.</p><p><b>“Dude. I <em>earned</em> that money,”</b> Dean barked under his breath.</p><p>Sam scoffed,<b> “...at a <em>poker </em>game.”</b></p><p>
  <b>“Uh...yeah!”</b>
</p><p>Riley stifled a laugh and rubbed Dean’s arm, consoling his ‘great loss’ as they walked into the examination room. “Aw, I’ll help you earn it back. I mean, let’s be honest, I’m probably better than you at pool anyways.”</p><p>He looked down at her and playfully mocked her words.</p><p>The room was cold and medical; it reeked of death. No matter how many years on the job, it’s never a smell someone could ever get used to.</p><p>A harsh fluorescent light hung above the room. Even covered in bright light, the room still would send a chill of unease up anyone’s spine.</p><p>The assistant examined the labels on the many drawers on the wall and pulled the handle of one out toward him. A metal clunk came from the drawer as it extended completely.</p><p>All three gathered around the slab as the assistant pulled back the sheet. Mr. Shoemaker’s hollowed out, melted eyes seemed to almost stare back at them.</p><p>The medical assistant read over the coroner’s report. “Uh--Mr. Shoemaker. Official cause of death was an aneurysm. Doc thinks it may have been a stroke.”</p><p>“Really?” Dean asked in disbelief. <b>“You ever seen a stroke that made somebody’s eyes explode?”</b> He looked down at the body searching for clues.</p><p>“We’re gonna need to see the police report.” Riley leaned in as well to get a closer look herself, feeding her morbid fascination.</p><p>The assistant shook his head. “I’m not supposed to show you that.”</p><p>Riley looked up at him and bat her lashes. “You know,” she said slowly walking towards him, her voice in almost a sexy coo. “It would mean a lot to me if you could help us out. We have a paper due next week and it’s half our grade. I can’t afford to not pass this class. Could you just show it to us for a couple minutes? It would mean <em>so</em> much to me. Please?” She placed a hand gently on his arm and he swallowed hard.</p><p>“I--I guess it would be okay for just a few minutes.”</p><p>“I seriously can’t thank you enough.” Riley slid her hand softly down his arm pulling away.</p><p>Dean’s eyes grew and he stared at Sam, a look of  ‘<em>what the fuck’</em>  written all over his face.</p><p>The assistant walked away with a ridiculous grin, stumbling as he went.</p><p>“See boys? Just gotta know how to ask nicely.” She winked before going back to examining the body.</p>
<hr/><p>Mr. Shoemaker’s funeral had brought countless people to his home. The Shoemaker house was filled with mourning friends and family. It was warm and inviting even with the grief that filled every room. Everyone was dressed in black evening wear as they made sad conversation.</p><p>Dean looked to his partners.<b> “I think we’re a little under dressed.”</b></p><p>Walking respectfully through the family room, they found their way to the backyard. Mr. Shoemaker’s teenage daughter was sitting on a wooden bench that laid on the edge of the grass on the stone patio. She was crying, her friends trying to console her. She had short brown hair that flipped up at the bottom and was in a black dress that stopped at her knees.</p><p>As they walked closer, Riley began to feel the emotions and hurt that radiated from the young girl. Again, she tried to ignore whatever was coming over her.</p><p>“Hi, I’m Sam. This is my brother Dean and our friend, Riley. We’re sorry to hear about your dad. We knew him through work.”</p><p>“We’re so sorry to bother you,” Riley added. “We heard it was a stroke. Did your dad ever talk about having any symptoms? Headaches or anything like that?”</p><p>“No--never. Dad was always really healthy. I just don’t understand.” Mr. Shoemaker’s eldest daughter, Donna, muffled her cries. She wiped her face with the bundled Kleenex in her hand.</p><p><b>“It was Bloody Mary,”</b> a small voice to the side said. The youngest Shoemaker, Lily, was no more than seven. She had long dark blonde hair that fell over her shoulders, half up in a bow. <b>“Before he died, I said ‘Bloody Mary’ three times. It’s my fault--she takes your eyes. </b>That’s what she did to my dad.” Tears welled up in her eyes.</p><p>The hunters looked at each other curiously.</p><p>Dean knelt down next to Lily. “Hey. It wasn’t your fault, okay? Bad things just happen sometimes. You can’t blame yourself when you’ve done nothing wrong.”</p><p>She looked at him and slowly nodded her head, trying to believe the words of the kind stranger.</p><p>Riley watched as Dean consoled the little girl. She could feel his sincerity with Lily. After practically raising Sam, Dean was always great with kids.</p><p>Before he stood, he took her hand and cupped it in his, giving her a little smile.</p><p>“Thank you for your time. Again, I’m so sorry for your loss.” Sam gave a look to the others and they walked back into the house.</p><p>Sneaking up the stairs, they found the hallway bathroom. Upon opening the door, bloodstains were spread all over the floor. Even after a thorough clean, the tile remained stained by the blood of Mr. Shoemaker. The crimson color reflected the horrors that happened in the room only a few nights before.</p><p>“I don’t get it,” Riley said walking towards the mirror. “Everyone plays ‘Bloody Mary’. Nothing ever happens? Why now?”</p><p>Dean crouched to the floor to get a better look at the blood splatter patterns. <b>“I don’t know. Maybe everywhere else it’s just a story. Maybe here, it’s actually real. The legend may have started here.”</b></p><p><b>“But, it just doesn’t add up.”</b> Sam took a closer look at the mirror but found nothing. “Bloody Mary only goes after the ones that summon her. Legend goes, you say her name three times and she scratches your eyes out.”</p><p>“Yeah,” Dean agreed. “Except this time, someone else says it and it’s Shoemaker who takes the hit. <b>Still, the guy did die right in front of the mirror.”  </b></p><p>“Well, looks like it’s time to find proof of the actual legend. Who’s up for a day of research?” Riley gave Dean a look knowing how much he hated it.</p><p>His eyes rolled and his head fell back as a groan escaped his throat.</p>
<hr/><p>Back at the motel, everyone was working through anything they could find. There was little to no information on Bloody Mary or her connection to the town.</p><p>Sam worked diligently at his laptop as he sifted through countless websites.</p><p>Dean sat in a chair propped up against the window, his boots crossed over each other on the chair in front of him. He was rubbing his temple trying to be patient with what felt like the millionth book he’d read that sat in his lap. <b>“Alright, say Bloody Mary really is haunting this town. There's gonna be some sort of proof—like a local woman who died nasty.”</b></p><p>Riley was sitting on the floor, papers and books spread around her as she examined everything, her glasses helping her tired eyes focus on the task at hand. She sighed. “Yeah, but this isn’t just a <em>local </em>legend. I mean, you said it yourself, Bloody Mary is played everywhere and there’s countless versions of her origin story; one says she’s actually a witch, one says she was a mutilated bride, others say she’s a demon. There’s just too many to pin down.”</p><p>
  <b>“Alright, so what are we supposed to be looking for?”</b>
</p><p>“Well,” Sam said, getting the others’ attention. <b>“Every version's got a few things in common. It's always a woman named Mary and she always dies right in front of a mirror.</b> Dean, did you get anything going through the records or newspapers at the library?”</p><p>“Oh, besides a whole new fuckin’ level of frustration? No. I've looked at everything. A few local women, a Laura and a Catherine committed suicide in front of a mirror, and a giant mirror fell on a guy named Dave, but uh--no Mary. Basically? We got bupkis.”</p><p>Riley took off her glasses and stopped to think. “Well, I didn’t really find any other strange deaths in the area either, so...maybe whatever this is, just isn’t Mary.”</p><p>"Great,” Dean added with a groan.</p><p>It went quiet again as the three resumed their work until Dean’s thoughts began to wander.<em> “God, I hate this shit. And how the hell am I supposed to focus with her looking like that?”</em></p><p>Riley looked up thinking she heard Dean speak. He quickly went back to his book, pretending he hadn’t been staring. She softly smiled at the idea that he was thinking about her.</p><p>Though she was becoming more used to hearing occasional thoughts and feelings. But, that didn’t mean she was ready to tell Sam or Dean about her secret.</p><p>The phone rang and Sam got up from his spot on the bed against the headboard to grab it from the small side table. “Hello?” He listened for a while and his face fell as the conversation went on. “Okay, uh--thanks.” He ended the call and looked over at Riley and Dean. “...a girl is dead.”</p>
<hr/><p>
  <em>Riley stood in the corner of a cheap motel room. The wallpaper was a terrible green patterned print and the bedding looked worn and uninviting. A wooden pillared wall stood between her and the rest of the room.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Have I been here before?" she thought.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Footsteps from outside grew closer just outside the door and she turned at the sound.</em>
</p><p>A man walked in the already ajar door, holding beer and take out food. Putting all the contents he was carrying onto the small table by the door, he peeked in with trepidation before reaching for the gun tucked into the waistband of his pants.</p><p>
  <em>Riley stepped hesitantly toward him with desperate eyes. </em>
  <em>“...Dad?”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Jackson Munroe. He had dark brown hair that he could run his fingers through and soft blue eyes that were utterly were hypnotic. He was tall and broad, his tense muscles snug underneath his shirt.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>His eyes moved to the main room and he froze. There was blood painted across the room; some had even splattered onto the mirror on the large wooden dresser and along the wall.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Jackson’s heart sank in his chest.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Riley…?” His voice was soft and almost shaking with fear. It was then that he saw his daughter’s boots on the floor, jutting out from the other side of the bed.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Riley?!” With a guttural scream, he ran to her side and threw himself beside her. Riley’s face was vacant and pale. Her eyes were barely open and her head was turned facing the side of the bed. Her throat had been slit...nearly clean through.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Seeing the brutality his daughter had endured nearly caused him to vomit.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Jackson scooped his little girl’s lifeless body from the pool of blood and into his arms as he sobbed uncontrollably. </em>
  <em>He cradled her and pushed the hair out of her face. Even in death, she was beautiful.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Oh, honey. No. Baby girl, no. Come back to me.” He shook her, hoping he could will her back to life. “Don’t leave me, Riley!”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Jackson’s scream-like sobs filled the room. The sound of his pain was so real, it sounded as though he was dying alongside her.</em>
</p><p>“<em>Dad</em>!”</p><p>Riley shot up out of bed wide awake. Tears were running down her pale face and she had sweat down her back.</p><p>She was in her motel room. It was silent and the light from the parking lot only illuminated a small part of the room.</p><p>Riley grabbed her throat and looked down to check her hands for blood.</p><p>It was always the same dream and it had been happening ever since she had lost her dad. No dream had ever been more clear or real and she feared sleep for that very reason. The monsters in her waking moments never brought her the fear and pain she felt from her father in that dream.</p><p>Dean came in from the adjoining room, concern written all over his face. “Hey, you okay?”</p><p>She wiped the tears from her face before turning to him and cleared her throat. “Yeah. Damn nightmare again.”</p><p>“Okay, well...I’m, uh–I’m right next door if you need anything.” He hesitated before leaving, wanting to make sure she was alright.</p><p>Realizing that she hadn’t stopped trembling, she was afraid to be alone again. “Dean?”</p><p>“Yeah?” he asked, turning back toward her in the doorway.</p><p>“Would it...be okay if you slept with me? I know that sounds stupid, but Finn usually helps and--” she stopped and shook her head. “Never mind.”</p><p>“No, it’s alright. No need to explain. I’m here.” He walked over to her in his sweats and a black t-shirt, his feet shuffling on the carpet in a sleepy drag.</p><p>Riley lifted the sheets and scooted over, making room for him. He got into the bed and laid on his back with one arm stretched out and the other bent under his head.</p><p>Laying on her side, she pulled the blankets over them as she rested her head on Dean’s warm chest. Riley’s arm wrapped around his torso and she could feel the oxygen returning to her lungs. Within minutes, her heart rate calmed as she lost herself in his warmth.</p><p>Dean softly played with her hair as he inhaled that blissful smell that she always had. “Do you wanna talk about it?”</p><p>Riley took a deep breath and exhaled. “It’s just always the same dream over and over.”</p><p>“Okay...”</p><p>“You really wanna know?”</p><p>“I wouldn’t have asked if I didn’t.”</p><p>She let out an emotional and shaky sigh. “...I--I watch my dad find my body after I was murdered. He’s holding me and screaming, begging for me to come back to him. Oh, God...you think I’m crazy, don’t you?”</p><p>He could hear the heartbreak in her voice and all he wanted was to take away her pain. “No, not at all. But, it was just a dream, Riley. You’re <em>here</em>. You’re safe.”</p><p>Another tear silently slid down her cheek. “...but he isn’t.”</p><p>Dean stopped to think before he spoke again. “Hey, I get it. I wake up in a cold sweat a lot, having to remind myself what’s real and what isn’t. Most of the time? They’re about the people that I’ve lost or the ones that I <em>could </em>lose. The thought of losing Sam, or Dad, or you...I just--all I’m saying is, you’re not alone in this.”</p><p>“Thanks, Dean.” If only he knew how much his words meant to her.</p><p>Only, Riley knew though that her dreams weren’t like normal nightmares, those she was always prepared for. But, that night terror took on a life of its own. It had her constantly wondering why her dreams were haunting her and what it all meant.</p><p>“Listen, I’ll stay with you, alright? Get some sleep.”</p><p>Riley nuzzled into him and closed her eyes. She couldn’t remember the last time she felt so safe.</p><p>Dean kissed her forehead and rested his head on the pillow, taking his other arm and wrapping it around her.</p><p>He didn’t care that nothing more would happen that night. To him, just being in that bed with her was heaven.</p><p>Dean hated that she was hurting and scared, but he was already determined to always be there to slay her monsters.</p><p>As Riley’s breathing changed, Dean could tell she was sound asleep.</p><p>A smile of contentment grew on his face. “Goodnight, sweetheart.”</p>
<hr/><p>The next morning, the team went to the house of the newly murdered girl; a teen named Jill. It was a quiet house on a ‘cookie cutter street’. With the funeral going on across town, no one would be home.</p><p>One at a time, they gently climbed the trellis against the house with vines grown around it.</p><p>Getting up to the roof landing, Dean pulled up the window on the second floor. He crawled into the dead teen’s bedroom, the other two following in after him.</p><p>The room looked like any other teenage girl’s. There were posters of boy bands and pictures of Jill and her friends littered across the wall. She had strung lights around the ceiling of the room that softly twinkled.</p><p>Dean put their equipment down on the soft, white bed next to the lace pillow covers. He pulled out an EMF detector and went to work but, it wasn’t finding anything.</p><p>Sam grabbed a video camera and switched it to night vision mode while facing Dean.</p><p>The older brother used a ridiculous seductive expression as he looked over his shoulder. Facing the camera, he pursed his lips.<b> "Do I look like Paris Hilton?”</b></p><p>Sam shook his head and walked towards the bathroom.</p><p>Examining the room, Riley found nothing out of place; no sign of a struggle whatsoever.</p><p>Riley picked up a picture off the desk of the teen and her family. And like a sudden bolt of lightning, sadness ripped through her. She felt as though she was mourning someone she loved. It was making her hurt more with every passing second. She quickly put the frame back where she found it and went back to studying the room.</p><p><b>“Alright, Mary. How are you choosing your victims?”</b> Sam closed in on the bathroom mirror with the camera. Through the night vision, he could see something dripping out from under the mirror. He put down the camera, grabbed the mirror off the hook on the wall, and brought it to the bed.</p><p>Flipping it over and tearing the back of the mirror open, Sam asked Dean to hand him the black light from the bag. Names glowed bright enough to read as he ran the light over the ripped backing. “Gary Bryman and Linda Shoemaker.”</p><p>“Wait, Linda <em>Shoemaker</em>? That’s the dead guy’s wife. But, I read her obit. She died a while ago.” Riley ran her hand over the names and felt immense fear and sadness consuming her. She yanked away from it, not wanting to feel it anymore.</p><p>The brothers watched her jump for no obvious reason but decided it best to leave it alone.</p>
<hr/><p>“Well,” Riley started at she stared at the computer screen, “Gary Bryman was an 8-year-old boy. He died a year ago from a hit and run. The driver was never found. <em>But</em>, the description of the car matched the one that the dead teenager drove.” She turned to the boys. “Coincidence? Pfft. Not in this line of work.”</p><p>“So, Jill kills a kid, ends up dead herself.” Dean mindlessly cleaned his gun while working through his thoughts out loud. “Okay, so what if Mr. Shoemaker was responsible for his wife’s death? What if it wasn’t an overdose, but a poisoning?” </p><p>Sam had a realization. “Well, it’s said that mirrors can reflect your soul. They show your secrets and lies. Hence, why it’s back luck to break them. What if Mary is punishing those whose secrets revolve around a death?”</p><p>The three looked at each other knowing they were on to something.</p><p>“Looks like we might finally have something to go on,” Dean added.</p><p>“Well, on that note, I’m gonna hit the shower.” Riley got up and stretched as she began to head for the bathroom. “Though, I can’t promise there will be any hot water left for either of you when I’m done.”</p><p>The door closed and a few seconds later, the shower was on.</p><p>Knowing that she couldn’t hear them, Sam knew that was his moment to get answers. He closed his book and turned to his brother.</p><p>“So…you weren’t in your bed this morning,” he teased.</p><p>Dean looked up to Sam and saw his insinuating expression. He rolled his eyes. “Yeah, yeah. She had a nightmare last night. I could hear her and it woke me up, so I went to check on her and ended up staying.”</p><p>Sam’s eyes widened and a playful grin grew on his face.</p><p>“It wasn’t like that. Nothing happened,” Dean rebutted. “She just needed a friend. I think she really misses that mutt of hers too.”</p><p>“So, is that what you see her as? A friend?”</p><p>Dean groaned. “No...I mean, yes. Look, she’s become one of the closest friends I’ve ever had...” he stopped with a thoughtful look. “Actually, one of the only friends I’ve ever had, period.”</p><p>“...but?”</p><p>He sighed. “But yeah, there’s something more there--a <em>lot </em>more. I don’t wanna push it on her though. Things are going fine and they’ll progress the way they should. We’re taking it slow. The last thing I need is to scare her off by telling her that I’m crazy about her.”</p><p>“You <em>are</em>?” Sam smiled and felt pretty good about himself for calling it.</p><p>Dean suddenly realized what he said. “Yeah...I guess I am.” He had never felt that way about anyone before. Dean was never the type to get involved with anyone, let alone have real feelings. It boggled his mind how Riley could have broken that wall down so quickly. If he was honest, Riley was stealing Dean’s heart one day at a time and there was no stopping it.</p><p>A look of acceptance and love ran over his face before he went over to the table to sit in front of the laptop to continue Riley’s research.</p><p>Getting up off the bed, Sam went over to his brother to help. <b>“Wait, wait, wait, you're doing a </b><em>nationwide </em><b>search</b>for <em>Mary</em>?”</p><p>
  <b>“Yep. The NCIC, the FBI database—at this point, any Mary who died in front of a mirror is good enough for me.”</b>
</p><p>
  <b>“But, if she's haunting the town, she should have died in the town.”</b>
</p><p>“Well, we’ve checked every local source possible and I got diddly squat. <b>So, unless you got a better idea--”</b></p><p>“I think we’re onto something with the mirror lore. I just can’t quite place it. I mean, there seems to be a pattern, right? Mr. Shoemaker and Jill’s hit and run made good targets because they had secrets where people died.”</p><p>“And then Mary came to punish them for it. ...whether you’re the one who summoned her or not.”</p><p>“Hold on.” Dean stopped scrolling and pointed to an image. “Take a look at this.” The picture was a crime scene photo of a young woman lying dead in front of a mirror, drenched in a puddle of blood. On the glass of the mirror was a clear hand print. “Look familiar?”</p><p>“The hand print.”</p><p>
  <b>“Her name was <em>Mary </em>Worthington—an unsolved murder in Fort Wayne, Indiana.”<br/>
</b>
</p><p>The door to the bathroom opened and Riley peeked out from behind it, her hair still soaked. “Alright, which one of you jerks took the last towel?”</p>
<hr/><p>Later that night, Sam had fallen into a deep sleep and Dean lied awake in bed, his thoughts racing about his earlier conversation with his brother.</p><p>A soft melody began to come from the connecting room and Dean grew curious.</p><p>Throwing the blankets off and moving his legs over the side of the bed, he stood to walk towards the sound. The door was cracked open as he peered in. Dean pushed it further as the dim light from the room spread over his face.</p><p>Riley was sitting faced away from him on her bed, crossed-legged as always. Her guitar rested on her knee as the neck of it was in her left hand. She was in a hoodie, her long hair falling down over her back.</p><p>She strummed to a beautiful acoustic rendition of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s ‘<em>Simple Man</em>’, as she sang along to it in perfect harmony.</p><p>Dean was in a trance. He usually hated covers of his favorite bands, but hung on her every note and pick of the guitar. It was gentle and soothing. He melted and a calm rushed over him. Somehow, Riley always seemed to look even more stunning than the day before.</p><p>
  <em>“This woman couldn’t be more perfect if I had dreamt her up myself.”</em>
</p><p>Riley stopped and turned to face Dean after hearing his thoughts. It had become something that no longer surprised her the way it did before.  </p><p>Dean immediately froze in embarrassment thinking he had made a noise to give himself away.</p><p>She smiled at him and pat the spot on the bed next to hear. As Dean sat down, Sam’s snores could lightly be heard from the other room. They quietly laughed and Dean shook his head.</p><p>“So, you were spying on me, huh?” Riley asked with a brow raised, trying to mess with him.</p><p>“Oh, you didn’t know by now? I’m a total creep.”</p><p>She let out a breathy laugh. “Should have known.”</p><p>“Not gonna lie, that song was amazing, Riley. You did Skynyrd proud.”</p><p>She blushed. “Nah, still a work in progress.”</p><p>“You know, you don’t give yourself enough credit. I’m starting to wonder if there’s anything you <em>can’t </em>do.”</p><p>Riley turned and stood the guitar on the base of its body, leaning it against the side table. “Sorry if I woke you up.”</p><p>“Nah...I was already awake.” Dean took his time going to sit beside her. From the day they met, she never stopped making his heart race.</p><p>She looked back at him and took his hand, interlacing their fingers. Meeting each other’s gaze, their eyes darted back and forth. They found themselves enthralled in one another.</p><p>“You make me nervous,” he admitted to her with a shy chortle.</p><p>Riley chuckled. “I’m glad it’s not just me.”</p><p>“Definitely not.”</p><p>They leaned in, their lips finding the others. He pulled her closer and she wrapped her arms around him.</p><p>As the tension grew between them, he picked her up to put her in his lap and her legs went around him. They couldn’t get enough of each other, but still didn’t push to go any further.</p><p>Dean kissed her neck slowly in the soft spot under her ear and on her jawline. Looking back up at her Dean knew, he was a goner; Riley was stealing his heart.</p><p>Their foreheads came together and Riley rubbed the back of his head gently as his hair brushed against her fingers.</p><p>His hands ran up and down her back in loving motions.</p><p>“Dean?” she asked softly. “...is this real? Whatever’s going on between us, I mean.”</p><p>Dean looked back at her and held her chin in his hand. “...I think this is as real as it gets.”</p><p>Riley felt his heart against her chest and breathed him in. Being in his arms was her favorite place to be. Moments with him passed too quickly, but still felt frozen in time. She kissed him again, deep.</p><p>“Stay with me again tonight?”</p><p>“I’ll never say no to that.”</p><p>Dean picked her up and brought her down on the bed with him. They laid side by side facing each other, their foreheads resting together once again. His arms were wrapped around her and her hands clung at his sides, their legs intertwined.</p><p>After a moment of silence, Dean found the courage to speak and whispered, “It’s you and me, kid. I think I might actually be in this for the long haul.”</p><p>She turned her eyes to meet his. “I’m gonna hold you to that, Winchester.”</p><p>He kissed her again and then pulled her into his chest. They both soaked each other in and their eyes shut, peacefully.</p><p>Dean felt himself melt into the bed with a feeling of utter contentment. Finally, he knew that what he had found was something he never even dreamed he could have.</p><p>They both fell into a blissful sleep. There would be no nightmares that night for either of them. As long as they were together, they would keep each other safe.</p>
<hr/><p>Inside the police station of Fort Wayne, Sam, Dean, and Riley were able to get the Sergeant to speak with them. They inquired about Mary Worthington and the Sheriff was taken aback.</p><p>"Mary Worthington. Yeah, that was a rough one. I still lose sleep knowing we never got the guy. Poor woman’s eyes had been cut out, almost surgically. I always thought it was a guy named Trevor Sampson--a doctor. She was having an affair with him and was going to reveal their secret to his wife. I think he killed her to stop that from happening. But, uh--he’s dead now.”</p><p>“Where is Mary buried, Sergeant?” Riley asked.</p><p>
  <b>“She wasn’t. She was cremated.”</b>
</p><p>Sam stepped towards the desk. “What about the mirror? Was that possibly kept for evidence or something?”</p><p>
  <b>“No. It was returned to Mary's family a long time ago.”</b>
</p><p>
  <b>“Do you happen to have the names of her family by chance?”<br/>
</b>
</p>
<hr/><p>In the car, back on the road as they headed back to Toledo, Baby drove the hunters through the dark night. Rain was falling in buckets and pounded on the Impala’s roof. The sound of splashing water tapped loudly on the windows.</p><p>Sam was on the phone hoping for some new information while Riley and Dean waited quietly.</p><p><b>“Oh, really? Ah, that's too bad Mr. Worthington,”</b> he told the person on the other line. <b>“I would have paid a lot for that mirror. Okay, well maybe next time. Alright, thanks.”</b> As Sam hung up, he turned to the others.<b> “So, that was Mary's brother. The mirror was in the family for years, until he sold it one week ago to a store called Estate Antiques--a store in Toledo.”</b></p><p>Riley nodded through her thoughts. “So, basically, wherever the mirror goes, Mary is its constant hitch hiker.”</p><p>
  <b>“Her spirit's definitely tied up with it somehow.”</b>
</p><p><b>“Isn't there an old superstition that says mirrors can capture spirits?”</b> Dean asked, his eyes still on the road.</p><p>
  <b>“Yeah, there is. Yeah, when someone would die in a house people would cover up the mirrors so the ghost wouldn't get trapped.”</b>
</p><p>
  <b>“So, Mary dies in front of a mirror and it draws in her spirit.”</b>
</p><p>“Okay, I’m with you so far,” Riley interjected. “But, she’s moving through random mirrors at this point. How?”</p><p><b>“I don't know, but if the mirror is the source, I say we find it and smash it,”</b> Dean answered.</p><p>Fiddling with the phone in his hand, Sam finally said what was on his mind. <b>“You know, I've been thinking. It might not be enough to just smash that mirror.”</b></p><p>
  <b>“Why, what do you mean?”</b>
</p><p>
  <b>“Well, Mary's hard to pin down, right? I mean, she moves around from mirror to mirror so, who's to say that she's not just gonna keep hiding in them forever? So, maybe we should try to pin her down, you know--summon her to her mirror and then smash it.”</b>
</p><p>“Okay, so who’s gonna summon her?” Riley asked as she leaned onto the front seat from behind the brothers. </p><p><b>“I will,”</b> Sam said plainly. <b>“She'll come after me.”</b></p><p>“You know what, that's it.” Fed up with his brother’s way of thinking, Dean pulled the car over with a screech. He killed the engine and turned to Sam. <b>“This is about Jessica, isn't it? You think that's your dirty little secret--that you killed her somehow?”</b> Sam remained quiet, his eyes never looking back at Dean while Riley sat back again to give them space. <b>“Sam, this has got to stop, man. I mean, the nightmares and calling her name out in the middle of the night—it's gonna </b>fucking <em>kill </em><b>you. Now, listen to me—it wasn't your fault. If you wanna blame something, then blame the fucker that killed her. Or hell, why don't you take a swing at me? I mean, I'm the one that dragged you away from her in the first place.”</b></p><p>
  <b>“I don't blame you.”</b>
</p><p>
  <b>“Well, you shouldn't blame yourself, because there's nothing you could've done.”</b>
</p><p>
  <b>“I could've warned her.”</b>
</p><p><b>“About what?”</b> Dean asked, desperately trying to get through to Sam. <b>“You didn't know what was gonna happen! And besides, all of this isn't a secret. I mean, </b>Riley and<b> I know all about it. It's not gonna work with Mary anyway.</b>”</p><p>The car fell silent before Sam uttered, <b>“no...you don't.”</b></p><p>
  <b>“Don't what?”</b>
</p><p>Riley couldn’t help herself as she chimed back in with a soft spoken voice. “Sam...is there more we don’t know?”</p><p>Finally lifting his gaze, Sam turned to his partners with a pained expression. <b>“Well, it wouldn't really be a secret if I told you, would it?”</b></p><p>Dean shook his head adamantly.<b> “No. I don't like it. It's not gonna happen, forget it.”</b></p><p><b>“Dean, people are going to die unless we do something about it. And you know what? Who knows how many more people are gonna die after that? Now, we're doing this.” </b>Heartfelt and full of certainty, Sam told him, <b>“you've <em>got </em>to let me do this.”</b></p><p>Both Riley and Dean looked at each other, fearing the worst.</p>
<hr/><p>It was close to midnight. All the shops had already closed and the streets were empty. The rain had calmed and left a soft drizzle in the air.</p><p>Parking the Impala a block or so away, in a nearby alley, Riley and the boys snuck up to the antique store. The street lights were dim, and it seemed as though the bulbs were on their last legs.</p><p>Dean took a moment to appreciate the city’s lack of care to fix things, as it definitely worked in their favor.</p><p>Riley put her cupped hands to the glass of the antique shop in an attempt to see inside, her black hoodie under her jacket caved over her face. It was too dark to see much of anything.</p><p>Sam knelt down at the door and picked the lock while Dean kept a lookout. The door opened and they went inside, making sure to be quiet when shutting the door behind them.</p><p>They turned on their flashlights and looked around the shop. The entire place was covered in countless mirrors. Their search was not going to be an easy find. </p><p><b>“Well...that's just great,”</b> said Dean in sarcasm.</p><p>They studied the printed picture of the mirror from Mary’s crime scene photos. It was large, surrounded by a flourished frame in a darkened and faded brassy color.</p><p>The tree hunters split up to cover more ground. Dean stayed to the front of the shop, Riley to the back, and Sam ventured into the storage area.</p><p>As Sam walked into the darkness, he pushed a hanging plastic barrier out of his way. He shined his flashlight to check each mirror, waiting for a flicker of movement. The light bounced back and forth as it danced in the reflections of the many mirrors. He had almost given up on finding it. Finally, Sam turned and saw Mary’s mirror. An unsettling feeling radiated from it and Sam knew. “I found it!”</p><p>Lights from a patrol car shined into the shop and Dean stopped to look outside. Riley hurried in after hearing the approaching car as well.</p><p>“Cops?”</p><p>“Yeah. Shit. We must have tripped the alarm coming in. I’ll go handle it.” Dean told Riley before he turned off his light and walked towards the entrance.</p><p>Opening the door, he stepped out. “Hello, officer. Sorry, I’m the owner’s son. I came in to do some late work and I must have tripped the alarm.”</p><p><b>“You’re Mr. Yamashiro’s kid?”</b> the officer asked accusingly.</p><p>“...I’m adopted?”</p><p>“Alright, you’re gonna have to come with me.” The cop went to take Dean’s wrists.</p><p>“Man, I didn’t wanna have to do this.” He turned and punched the man square in the face, sending him to the concrete, unconscious.</p><p>Dean shook his fist lightly. “Sorry, buddy.”</p><p>Back inside, Riley saw Sam staring into the mirror and slowly made her way to his side. He took a deep breath, looked into his reflection and spoke. “Bloody Mary...Bloody Mary…” He hesitated. “Bloody Mary.”</p><p>Ready with crowbars in their hands, the two waited for Mary to appear.</p><p>“I don’t like this, Sam. Swing at anything that moves.”</p><p>They were both on edge, their hearts racing. Sam stared down the mirror and Riley scanned over them all. She could feel the rage that reached out from the original mirror. It scared her in a way she’d never experienced before. The energy was strong and ran through her like a current. The spirit was twisted and evil after her incredible suffering; it made Riley sick to her stomach.</p><p>Eerie whispers swirled around them in the darkness, bringing the two into a state of fight or flight. The surrounding mirrors had their eyes on the hunters, with Bloody Mary watching from behind the glass.</p><p>Suddenly, Sam’s reflection changed. It was him, but it wasn’t. A maniacal grin grew on the reflection’s face and a voice that only Sam could hear slithered out at him. “It’s all your fault. <em>You</em> killed Jessica. You’re why she’s dead.”</p><p>Sam watched as it spoke to him, breaking his heart with every word. </p><p>Riley could feel his pain and she clutched at her chest trying to catch her breath. </p><p>“You had dreams of it happening for <em>days</em> before her death. You said nothing. You killed her.”</p><p><em>“I know. It’s my fault”.</em> Sam’s eyes began to drip with blood and dark veins were protruding from his face. It felt as though his insides were being ripped apart. He fell to his knees groaning in agony. “<em>I deserve this.”</em></p><p>“Sam, <em>no</em>!” Riley rushed to the different mirrors showing the creature’s reflection. She smashed every one of them with all her might.</p><p>The spirit finally appeared in the original mirror and Riley ran to break it, sending shards of glass everywhere. She covered her face and when the glass fell, she ran to Sam’s side as Dean rushed back in.</p><p>“Sammy! Are you okay?” Dean slid into his little brother, his eyes scanning him for more injuries.</p><p><b>“It’s Sam,”</b> he said correcting his brother with a faint voice.</p><p>As Riley and Dean helped pull him up off the ground, a snarling sound came from in front of them. Riley picked up her flashlight and aimed it at the broken mirror. A hand darted out from the frame. Slowly, something began to crawl out of the broken mirror. Its skin looked dead and decayed and its hair was long and black, draped over her face. She was twitching violently with every move and began to crawl towards them, her tattered and dirty white nightgown dragging with her. She moved faster and faster in their direction as her anger grew.</p><p>Blood began to drip from all three of the hunters’ eyes and pain beyond words strangled them from the inside. They fell to the floor groaning and straining with weak, muffled cries.</p><p>The evil creature stopped in front of them as she waited to watch them die.</p><p>With what little strength he had left, Dean grabbed the mirror beside him and raised it above him to face Mary.</p><p>She instantly stood up and her body calmed. Her hair split from her face, revealing a sad and broken woman. She looked at herself and a voice echoed. <b>“It’s your fault. You killed them all.”</b> Mary’s eyes began to bleed and it seemed as though she was slowly melting away. As fast as the shift started, she suddenly broke into tiny pieces of glass that scattered on the floor.</p><p>With what strength he had left, Dean threw the mirror to the ground where Bloody Mary had finally met her end. And as the mirror shattered, shards landed among what remained of the once tormented spirit.</p><p>Sam, Dean, and Riley huddled together waiting to make sure that the nightmare was over. Their heads were pounding, their chests heaving, and streams of blood covered their cheeks, dripping down their necks.</p><p>When the room remained still, Dean looked around at the broken mirrors and the glass that had sprinkled all around them.</p><p>“Hey guys...” he paused.</p><p>“Yeah?” Sam asked, panting.</p><p>
  <b>“That’s gotta be, what? 600 years bad luck?”</b>
</p>
<hr/><p>Back in the car as they drove out of town, Dean couldn’t help but remember Sam’s comment. He had secrets about what had happened with Jess. It was driving him crazy. “Hey, Sam?”</p><p>“Yeah?”</p><p>
  <b>“Now that this is all over, I want you to tell us what that secret was.”</b>
</p><p>Riley listened with intent waiting for his reply.</p><p>
  <b>“Look, you’re my family, and I’d die for you. But, there’s some things I need to keep to myself.”</b>
</p><p>They both tried to accept his answer and let it go for the time being.</p><p>Riley had a moment where she felt Sam’s emotions heighten again. There was a deafening emptiness.</p><p>Sam flinched and Riley could hear him think about how he thought he was seeing Jess on the corner of the road in a floor-length, white nightgown as her long blonde hair blew in the breeze.  </p><p>He was wishing and aching for her to really be there, but he had to remind himself that it was only wishful thinking. Sam took a shaky breath as he realized it was time to accept that Jessica was gone.</p><p>Guilt for not telling the boys about her own secret was killing Riley. She just needed more time. Until she knew what was happening to her, she didn’t want to worry them.</p><p>Riley already loved Sam and Dean. They were her partners and she was so proud to be a part of their family. Sam was beginning to feel like the brother she never had. She wanted to protect him and to find a way to ease his broken heart. Knowing the pain he was in kept her up at night.</p><p>Her thoughts then fell on Dean. She looked over at him and he quickly peered over to her while trying to pay attention to the road. He reached for her and she scooted to his side. Riley felt his warmth like a blanket on a cold night and it soothed her soul.</p><p>He kissed the top of her head and pulled her close.</p><p><em>“How does she do this to me? I think I’m falling for this girl.” </em>Dean smiled down at her again before locking eyes on the highway ahead.</p><p>Riley’s stomach did a somersault and she could feel his affection seeping into her skin. What they had was genuine; she could feel it in her bones.</p><p>It was happening--Riley was falling for Dean too and the thought made her nervous with every fiber of her being. Slowly, that feeling passed though and all she could feel was peace.</p><p>That’s what Dean did for her. He was her compass, guiding her towards something she never thought she could have.</p><p>And Riley knew she would follow him and Sam anywhere.</p>
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